The Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE), part of the College of Islamic Studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), in collaboration with the Cambridge Interfaith Program at the University of Cambridge, hosted a three-day international seminar on “The Conceptual Ground of Good and Evil in Islamic Discourse: A Fecund Domain for Ethical Reflections”. The seminar brought together scholars, academics, and researchers from different parts of the world who had submitted research papers around this theme.

Held in Doha from October 11-13, the seminar was convened by Dr. Feriel Bouhafa, who works as a Senior Research Associate in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. One of the aims of this academic event was to showcase the dynamic nature and diversity of ethical discourses in Islamic tradition and grasp the distinctive elements across the different disciplines. The conference therefore invited the scholars to reflect on the conceptual inquiry of the question of good and evil in the Islamic tradition, both in the classical and modern contexts, which can serve as a model to demonstrate the reflective aspect and diversity of ethical discourses in Islam. 

Ahead of the conference, Dr. Bouhafa noted that by exploring conceptions of good and evil in the different ethical discourses in Islamic thought, the conference aspired to formulate “a new grammar to engage with the modern ethicist across different religious and secular discourses”.

The seminar proceedings will be published as a special issue in the peer-reviewed, Scopus-indexed and open access Journal of Islamic Ethics, published by Brill and sponsored by CILE. Pioneering on several fronts, the journal has the distinction of being the first academic journal on Islamic ethics globally and is also the first humanities journal edited by HBKU to be indexed by Scopus. 

Speaking after the event, Dr. Mohammed Ghaly, Professor of Islam and Biomedical Ethics and CILE Acting Director, said: “CILE is home to research with global impact. It was therefore fitting to host these scholars and potentially create new scholarship that enriches and renews current approaches. It also affirms CIS’ position as an institution that is home to contemporary Islamic thought that embraces the benefits of scholarship where multiple disciplines and Islamic thought intersect.”

Launched in January 2012, the Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) specializes in Islamic legislation and applied ethics. For more information on its research and programs, please visit https://www.cilecenter.org/ and for more about the College of Islamic Studies, please visit cis.hbku.edu.qa